Strickland v. Patcraft Mills, Inc.
Strickland v. Patcraft Mills, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Patcraft Mills, Inc. brought this action seeking a refund of $6,838 in corporate income taxes assessed by the State Revenue Commissioner and paid, under protest, for the fiscal years 1974,1975 and 1976. The superior court judge found for Patcraft, and the Commissioner appeals. At issue are carpet sales made by Patcraft to out-of-state customers who took possession of the goods at Patcraft’s place of business in Dalton, Georgia for immediate transport and
In all the transactions under review, Patcraft, a Georgia corporation, allowed out-of-state customers to pick up merchandise at its Dalton headquarters for transport and resale out of state. All sales were made either through independent sales agents whose offices are outside Georgia or directly by Patcraft to out-of-state customers. It is Patcraft’s usual business practice to require all out-of-state customers who take possession of merchandise in Dalton to complete a form certifying that the goods picked up are intended for immediate transport and resale out of state.
Where a corporation such as Patcraft derives its income from business done both within and without the state, Georgia taxes only that income which is “reasonably attributable to the property owned and business done within the State,” pursuant to a three-part statutory formula.
This case presents a factual situation converse to Undercoñer, but the controlling principle is the same in each case. Here Patcraft has manufactured goods in Georgia which were destined for markets outside the state. Applying “the simple rule of the destination of the goods,” Undercofler v. U. S. Steel Corp., supra, at 11, we conclude that the transactions under review involved goods destined for out-of-state markets and are not taxable as Georgia gross receipts. This result is, we think, preferable to the interpretation of the statute urged by the Commissioner for several reasons. The destination test, as opposed to the “transfer of physical possession” theory advanced by the Commissioner, is easy to apply and is not subject to manipulation by taxpayers. See Undercofler, supra, at 12. Moreover, a destination test correctly recognizes the contribution by a consumer state to the realization of corporate income, and acknowledges that “the process of manufacturing [results] in no profits until it ends in sales.” Bass v. State Tax Comm., 266 U. S. 271, 282 (45 SC 82, 69 LE 282) (1924). See also Pierce, The Uniform Division of Income for State Tax Purposes, 35 Taxes 747, 780 (1957). Finally, we note that the courts of our sister state of Florida have adopted the destination test in construing that state’s statutory provisions, which are similar to OCGA § 48-7-31 (Code Ann. § 91A-3611). See Dept. of Revenue v. Parker Banana Co., 391 S2d 762 (Fla. App. 1980). The trial court correctly applied the destination theory to the facts of this case and concluded that Patcraft’s sales, destined for markets outside of Georgia, were properly allocable to other states for corporate income tax purposes. This is so regardless of the place of transfer of possession of the goods, or the manner by which the merchandise
Judgment affirmed.
The three factors which are considered are the corporation’s property, payroll, and gross receipts. OCGA § 48-7-31 (d) (2) (Code Ann. § 91A-3611). For a history of Georgia’s three-part formula for apportioning multistate corporate income, see Oxford v. Nehi Corp., 215 Ga. 74, 78 (109 SE2d 329) (1959).
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
“Gross receipts factor. . . . For the purposes of this subparagraph, receipts shall be deemed to have been derived from business done within this state only if the receipts are received from products shipped to customers in this state or products delivered within this state to customers.” OCGA § 48-7-31 (d) (2) (C) (Code Ann. § 91A-3611). Without question, the products here were “delivered within this state to customers.” Accordingly, the receipts at issue are “derived from business done within this state.”
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